Unacquainted
by subterraneanrose
Summary: In which Reisen becomes increasingly more interested in her princess's archnemesis.


Reisen Udongein Inaba had been on Earth for a month at most; she knew there were still plenty of things she had to get used to. The Princess and Lady Eirin had been living their lives here for centuries, a life they had crafted together on their own so long ago. It honestly felt a bit rude to impose on them in such a manner, but they were offering her shelter (even if she didn't feel completely safe about the predicament) and protection (which she desperately needed), so she obliged, having nowhere else to go. In short, she knew she should have been grateful to everything that they had given her so far. She knew she didn't deserve it after how she'd gotten here. However, this didn't stop her from having multiple questions about what exactly had happened in all the centuries since Eirin had slaughtered her fellow emissaries, fleeing with the now-free princess by her side. More specifically, just who was the enigmatic girl that constantly seemed to be nearby?

In her time here, Reisen had probably seen her a dozen times, never reaching out to her. Instead, she merely observed her from afar, taking in as many little details about this fey girl as she could: her sunken eyes, her long, ashen hair, her thin frame that looked as though a large gust of wind could knock her over. The way that she spouted such venomous language at the princess whenever she saw her. The way her body became coated in flames as she rushed at her, hatred oozing out of her every one of her kicks. Whenever this happened, Tewi would round up all the rabbits in the area and tell them to leave, while Reisen could only watch in awe at what was occurring in front of her. Her associate's high-pitched voice would snap her out of her trance, allowing her to run, but not before seeing the gruesome way the two women attacked each other, blood dripping all over the forest floor, teeth knocked out and lying on the ground.

Reisen hated it. She had seen war before. She knew just how awful it was, just how much harm it could cause. She still couldn't get a good night's sleep without thinking of something, a ghastly image that would haunt her subconscious, telling her** it's your fault. You could have done something if you weren't such a coward only thinking of yourself.** Yet, in spite of how much she loathed this unnecessary brutality, there was something so eye-catching about it, so much passion and vitriol. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was about their dance of flames and aggression, but something made her not want to look away, just watch her princess and this unknown battle for hours on end, which she knew they did. Hours later, the Princess would come back, battered and bloody, but still breathing, obviously. Lady Eirin looked horrified every time she saw this, instantly taking the wounded princess in her arms, holding her close as she ran to her infirmary, where she would be treated for the next few hours. Reisen had never been worried about the princess. She knew her circumstances of leaving, why she was no longer ruling on the throne where she belonged. Practically everyone did; Princess Kaguya Houraisan was known all throughout the moon to this day, infamous for her crimes against society alongside former sage Eirin Yagokoro. Her knowledge of their past taught Reisen that this was not something she needed to be concerned with, but, the first time it happened at least, she wondered if the other girl was okay. She definitely seemed to know Kaguya, and the flames she wielded that Reisen had lost her eyes in seemed powerful, a crimson vortex that cloaked her frail body, but Reisen had no knowledge of her other than this anger and her fire. She didn't have the faintest clue of whether the girl was a god, youkai, or just plain stupid.

That's why it was so surprising to her when, a mere two days later, she saw that snow-white hair clad in bows. She didn't know what to think. If that fight was enough to put the princess out of commission for a while, there's no way she could have lived, Reisen thought. And yet, here she was, in all of her otherworldly glory. At that moment, questions upon questions ran through the rabbit's head. Just who is she? Where did she come from? What connection does she have to the princess? How is no one aware of her existence? How did she survive something that should have most certainly killed her?

Since no one seemed willing to explain anything to her, it seemed as though Reisen would have to find answers herself.

* * *

She first tried with Tewi. She wasn't exactly sure how, but for as long as she'd known her, it had seemed as though the smaller rabbit knew practically everything going on at a single moment. Reisen didn't want to imagine how things would be if the two were not on the same side. Regardless, she most certainly knew just what the whole situation between the two was. She had to know, right?

"I'm not saying anything," Tewi responded with a teasing expression the next day when Reisen had pulled her over, fully intending to get to the bottom of this whole debacle.

"What do you mean you're not saying anything? You know about her, right?" Reisen spat at the shorter girl, already feeling as though this conversation was going nowhere. "You know about that fiery girl, so why won't you say anything? It's not as though you work for the princess."

"You're correct," Tewi replied, a devilish grin appearing on her face that only spelled trouble, "but I want to see just how long it'll take you to figure out the truth."

"You're keeping this information from me just for **fun**?" Reisen was starting to reach the end of her limits. In hindsight, she probably should have asked Lady Eirin first.

"It took you, what, two weeks to figure out Kaguya and Eirin were married?" Tewi snarked. "They didn't even try to hide that."

"Yes…" Reisen already knew this was pointless, turning away as she heard the princess's call. Chopping up vegetables and grilling meat sounded far more preferable than trying to negotiate information from a perpetual prankster.

* * *

The next day, she decided to do what she should have done in the first place and ask Lady Eirin. She may have generally been a bit cold to people, but Reisen was well aware of her soft spot for her princess (the ring on her finger said as much). Surely, she would not be opposed to answering questions pertaining to the princess?

"That is not my place to speak," Eirin said, her mind clearly elsewhere as she scanned the notes lying on her table, Reisen having come in during her break. It was a wonder she was even paying attention to what Reisen said at all.

"Why is that the case? Surely you wouldn't have any problem talking about someone pertaining to the princess, right" Reisen asked. Eirin was far more likely to give a correct answer than Tewi, but it seemed she was not interested in discussing the situation between the princess and the mysterious girl.

"This entire situation is between Kaguya and Mokou. I have no place discussing it, no matter my relation to Kaguya," Eirin responded. "It would be far better for you to ask either of them if you truly want the full story."

Mokou, so her name's Mokou, Reisen thought, barely registering the fact that she'd just been denied information once again. This was at least something to go off of, not as much of a complete waste of her time the way her conversation with Tewi had been. On the downside, this was one less person willing to discuss Mokou, Mokou, and the princess's intense relationship with each other. She supposed that meant she only had one option left.

* * *

Reisen walked over to the princess's room later that day at dinnertime, opening the door only to find the room empty, clearly having been so for a few hours. Reisen may have only been here for a few weeks, but she already knew what this had to mean. Without a second thought, she dashed outside, searching for long dark locks and a pink kimono, knowing that if she found this, she would most certainly find snow-white hair, bows, and torn red and white clothing along with it.

Her hunch was correct.

After a good half hour of walking, she came across what would normally be an empty clearing now stained with blood and clumps of hair torn out. What would normally be a traumatic sight (not that it wasn't still) was instead an indicator that Reisen had ended up in the right spot. Upon hearing shouts, she perked her head up, seeing a pink figure speed across the dark sky, a flaming red one close on her heels.

So, she's really not dead, Reisen thought to herself. She's like a phoenix, ethereal and covered in flames, seeming to die, but always being born again. I guess the answer was right in front of me the entire time: she must be a Hourai immortal, too. That just begs the question of how she obtained the elixir in the first place and why exactly she hates the princess. It was progress at the very least.

Reisen could already tell that if she were to move any closer, things would get dangerous incredibly fast, so she backed away from the dance of fury unfolding in front of her, opting to watch with the few remaining bamboo trees in front of her as a flimsy form of protection. It would not do anything to potentially shield her, not with a fire-user, but it would hopefully conceal her for a bit. With a flash of her red eyes, she offsetted the light waves around her, making her completely invisible. Somehow, she got the ever-lingering feeling that this fight was not something she, nor anyone else for that matter, should be allowed to bear witness to.

Mokou smashed a flame-ridden fist into the princess's chest, knocking her to the ground in an instant. From her hiding spot, Reisen could see the collection of dried blood, bruises, and scratches all over the princess's body, to say nothing of her torn clothes. Within a moment of dusting herself off, however, she leapt up, jabbing Mokou with the Jeweled Branch of Hourai she'd had firmly grasped in her hand. The girl crashed to the ground with a THUD, likely shattering a few bones in the process. From the distance, Reisen could see Mokou's eyes, bright and crimson and flashing with anger. Without nary a moment to reflect on the damage of her fall, she soared back up to clobber the princess yet again.

She's terrifying, yet so beautiful, Reisen thought, eyes full of awe as she observed the tenacious girl above her. She wasn't even thinking about how this girl was murdering her princess; all she could focus on was her graceful movements and the rich fire in her eyes.

Another half hour (or so Reisen could only assume. She couldn't take her eyes off the battle, but had noticed the sky becoming ever so slightly darker) later, after Mokou had slammed Kaguya's head into the ground for what had to have been a dozen times, the princess finally stopped making those pathetic sounds and her chest stopped heaving slightly, making it abundantly clear that she was dead. After waiting a few moments to make sure, Mokou, still breathing heavily, picked herself up off the ground and started walking away before taking flight. Reisen was sure she could fly better normally (she had seen her earlier), but she had clearly taken quite a beating in this fight as well. Only after what felt like ages but must have been a few minutes at most did Reisen finally deactivate her powers, making herself visible again as she walked to the princess's corpse. It was no matter; she knew that she would simply revive again in the next few minutes and from then on, it would be a simple matter of using her powers to restore her body to its former state. I wonder what Mokou does after these fights, Reisen thought. Did she heal at a faster rate than most? Was she immune to pain? Could she restore her body as well? Or did she just not care about pain anymore, simply enduring it? Reisen wasn't sure if she wanted to know; she had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer.

As she'd expected, the princess revived after what couldn't have been more than a few minutes, dazed and clearly not quite there, but recognizing Reisen at the very least, allowing her to carry her back to Eientei, as she was far too wounded to walk herself. The questions could clearly wait for another time. There were far more important things at hand.

* * *

The next day, the princess awoke like nothing had ever happened, as though she hadn't just had her skull crushed while soaked in her own blood the mere day before. All things considered, it was probably better for her to downplay the atrocities she'd had committed against her that she had likely inflicted as well. This way, at least she wasn't sulking in her day-to-day life, instead being as chipper and curious as she normally was. After a brief moment of hesitation, Reisen went up to her, fully intending to get the answers she's been craving for what felt like so long.

"Princess, I want to know… just who is Mokou? Why does she hate you so much? How is she immortal? I have so many questions about her and her existence and nobody's telling me anything!" At this point, Reisen was becoming desperate, so much so that she didn't particularly care that she'd just raised her voice (quite a bit) at the princess. She simply wanted to **know**, know who Mokou was and why. She knew that there had to be a story there, and it was a story that she wanted to hear.

Kaguya glanced up from the book that she'd been leafing through, looking up at the rabbit in front of her. "I guess I should have expected this. Mokou is a strange case after all." She sat up to her full height, a fair bit shorter than Reisen, and met her eyes. "So, you're interested in her?"

"Yes, I am," Reisen responded automatically. There was no dancing around it, she was interested in Mokou. She wanted to know as much as she could about this enchanting phoenix girl. In response to Reisen's response, Kaguya snickered a little bit, a little smile forming on her face. Instantly, Reisen turned red as she realized the implications of what she'd just said. "Not like that, just in general," she stammered, but she had a feeling it was a little too late to remedy the situation.

"I'm not here to judge your tastes, Inaba," Kaguya giggled. "In fact, I think it would be good for both of you. Mokou's a bit uptight as is; she could use a break."

"I'm being serious here," Reisen clarified, hoping that her face was no longer quite as pink. Having a crush on Mokou? That was ridiculous, right? All she'd ever seen of her was anger and murder. There was a little voice in the back of her mind was telling her that she'd called Mokou beautiful before, but Reisen chose to ignore that for now. She'd deal with that later. Maybe. "What is going on between the two of you?"

Kaguya had a solemn expression on her face as she said, "I get the impression that you actually want to know who Mokou is, right?" Reisen hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Well, if that's the case then why don't you ask her yourself? You'll get all the answers you need right there."

"How can I just go up to her and ask about this?" Reisen mused aloud. Those dark eyes had instantly told her Mokou was not a very happy person. Whatever her reason for immortality, it couldn't have been fun getting to that point.

"Are you sure you're not into her? I can try to set the two of you up if that's what's going on," Kaguya remarked, teasing in a more affectionate and lighthearted manner than Tewi ever did. It was clear whenever she said something like this that she didn't mean anything malicious by it, simply poking fun at a situation, which was probably why Reisen tolerated it so much more than she did Tewi's. That and the fact that, despite being short and perky, Kaguya was still technically her boss. It was an unstated rule to tolerate your boss's whims.

"Yes, I'm sure," Reisen responded. "Now, do you have any ideas about what to do?"

Kaguya pursed her lips together and closed her eyes for a few moments. "Mokou is pretty blunt, so she'd probably prefer it if you just asked her about what's going on upfront. I know she looks intimidating, but believe me when I say that she hasn't had a friend in goodness knows how long. She's out of practice with talking a lot, so keep that in mind. Just talk to her like a normal person and you should be fine. At worst, she won't say anything since she's not the type to kill whoever she sees. Only I have that dubious honor." She gave Reisen a small smile. "I'm sure you'll find the answers you're looking for." Somehow, just like that, Reisen felt completely reassured, nodding and walking out of the manor before she even knew what she was doing. This time, for sure, she was getting answers. She just knew it.

* * *

It was only within the next few minutes that Reisen realized what a terrible mistake she'd made. She was actually going to confront Mokou for answers, this woman she had yet to utter a single word to, who so far had done nothing but intimidate her even though that little voice in her head said otherwise. This was just asking for trouble. And yet, she felt like she couldn't turn back. The princess had trusted her to find the truth, and she was rapidly running out of options if she ever wanted to know just what Mokou's deal was.

If only Reisen knew where she was supposed to go. The princess hadn't exactly given her directions, just eagerly shoving her along on her way. It made Reisen wonder if even the princess knew where Mokou lived, or if she just happened to get lucky (if you could call it that) by running into her in the forest. Regardless, chances were high that Mokou lived somewhere close, or Reisen wouldn't see her as often as she did. She took to the sky, hoping to catch a flash of red somewhere on the ground, or a house in the nearby area to knock on the door of. After enough floating, she came across a small cottage. Seeing as she'd been flying for miles and had yet to see a single house, chances were high that this was Mokou's house. She lowered herself to the ground, all the while gazing around for a hint of red. Upon arrival, Reisen looked around, not seeing anyone nearby. May as well get it over with, she thought as she, after a prolonged moment of hesitation, knocked on the door.

No response. Reisen wasn't sure what to do now. It wasn't as though there were any other houses in the area, and she was almost certain Mokou lived somewhere in the forest. So who exactly lived here then?

"Hey, you're Eientei's new addition, right?" a slightly gruff voice said from behind Reisen. She jumped a bit, caught off guard, and turned around to find Mokou in all her rugged glory, holding a stack of wood in her hands.

"Care to explain why you're here?" Mokou's face showed no resentment, no shock, no… nothing. Like she'd seen so much that even finding a near-complete stranger knocking on her door wasn't even a surprise anymore.

"Ummm… I know this is a bit of a weird question, but…" It was at this point that Reisen really regretted going here. Maybe she should have spent longer trying to weasel information out of the princess. That, no, **anything** else, would be preferable to awkwardly asking the life story of someone she barely knew, someone who, on top of everything, gave off a sense of cold intimidation (that didn't even seem intentional) that was such a sharp contrast to her fire and venomous words hurled at the princess. The fact that Reisen had never been the most conversational was not helping her in the slightest, but with Mokou especially it felt like Reisen just couldn't spit out the words she'd been waiting to say for weeks.

"Just… who are you exactly?" Reisen flinched a bit as she finished her question, already prepared for the worst. "I just mean, uh, what is your relationship to the princess and… why are you immortal? I get if that's something you don't want to talk about, and I'll leave you alone if you don't want to tell me anything but… I was just curious and wanted to know… that's all…" When she felt no contact, she opened her eyes and looked up to see an incredulous Mokou, eyes wide open, moreso than Reisen had ever seen them.

"Huh, no one's asked me that in a long time. I… uhhh… don't know where to start really." Mokou's face still told Reisen that she had no idea how to react to this question. What was once a face that betrayed no emotion now seemed… shy. Kaguya had mentioned Mokou's social awkwardness, but Reisen hadn't been prepared for the sheer shift between these two seemingly distinct personas. If Reisen's eyes weren't mistaking her, she could even swear she saw a slight pink tint on Mokou's face, something which she definitely hadn't been expecting from the seemingly stoic girl.

"None of the other rabbits ever asked you?" Reisen asked, puzzled as to why none of her other coworkers were as mystified by Mokou's existence as her. None of them had ever wondered what her place was in the story of Kaguya Houraisan? That was somehow hard for Reisen to believe.

"No… guess either Tewi told them or they just didn't care enough to ask…" Mokou responded. "I don't get visitors often, especially from Eientei. It's not every day someone cares enough to ask about me. Maybe… come inside and we can talk I guess?" She still seemed to have a slight color on her face, but Reisen paid it no mind as she graciously nodded.

"I'd love to know."

* * *

"Wait, you're human?"

"Yeah, what did you think I was?"

"I just always thought humans were small and weak. But… you're **not**."

"…Thanks for the compliment?"

"I guess I was wrong about all of you. Guess I still need to work on thinking like an Earthian, not a Lunarian."

"You don't see yourself as one anymore?"

"I guess? I'm still not sure. It's just... going to take a while to get used to things here."

"That's fine. Take all the time you need."

...

"To think the princess could have been your stepmother in another lifetime… I'm not sure I could imagine that. I doubt she'd be all that happy living like that."

"You think she would be unhappy being my stepmom? Imagine how I would be as her stepdaughter?"

"As much as I adore the princess, I think I can say that she would be a terrible parent."

...

"I always knew gods were horrible."

...

"So, you have a violent past too?"

"What happened to you?"

"I… don't want to talk about it right now."

"That's fine, I get it."

"Maybe in the future I will. Only seems fair, right?"

"Do whatever you want."

...

"Figures you have the power of a phoenix. You always reminded me of one… I'm sorry if that sounds weird. It wasn't supposed to be-"

"It's… fine, really. Thanks…"

* * *

It took hours for Mokou to be able to tell her entire abridged life story, but Reisen hadn't even realized it was that long. In her eyes, Mokou had shifted from someone mysterious and interesting to someone incredibly sympathetic and a stellar example of the capabilities of the human species. Reisen still couldn't believe that Mokou, strong, powerful, collected Mokou, was completely human, or at least still seemed to view herself as such. She supposed that Mokou simply wanted to hold onto that little bit of humanity she had left after all these years. Reisen herself certainly understood how it felt to cling to the past.

"Well, thanks for everything. I really appreciate you telling me all of this. I get that it's all really personal to you," Reisen said, feeling relieved that she no longer had to stress and wonder about Mokou anymore. It seemed that, throughout this short journey, she'd even made a new friend.

They could probably both use one.

"No problem. I don't mind having you around," Mokou responded, a small, yet genuine, smile on her face. "It's nice to see that someone cares about me in this whole situation."

Reisen started to turn away, before stopping herself. "One day, I'll tell you all about the moon and everything that happened up there. I'll bet no one's ever told you that, right?"

Mokou smiled. "I'll hold you to that then."

Reisen gave a final goodbye wave before taking a giant leap and sending herself into the sky. Her eyes scanned over the forest as she searched for Eientei. Once she spotted it, she started dropping down, all the while thinking of everything she'd just heard. Somehow Mokou was even more interesting now that she knew about her firsthand than she was before. And, if there really were other humans like her out there, then maybe Earth wasn't as bad as Reisen had thought at first, back when all she could think about was her home, her life, all the people she'd ever known that she'd left. Back then, she hadn't been in the right mindset to think about Earth and what exactly it was, how she would live there. All she could think about was everything she'd lost instead of everything she could gain.

Earth may not be her home, but maybe it could be.

* * *

"Sorry I was out so late, princess," Reisen said as she walked into the main room, seeing the princess near the end of the same book that she'd had before. Kaguya looked up as Reisen made her presence known, an inquisitive expression on her face.

"I assume Mokou gave you all the answers?" Kaguya responded, a soft, yet knowing smile on her face.

"Yeah, she did. She was actually really nice to talk to…" Reisen smiled, thinking about how agreeable and even shy Mokou seemed to be. She certainly hadn't expected her to be that easy to talk to. There was just something about her that just put Reisen at ease.

Kaguya continued smiling. After a moment, like it had just come to her head, she asked, "So, are you two an item now?" Reisen could feel the blood rush to her face. "What, no! How could you even think that?" she snapped, trying to ignore how fast her heart was beating at the mere thought of her and Mokou… like that. She couldn't even tell if it was positive or negative. It was just… confusing. Not unwelcome, just confusing.

"I was just asking. No need to make a big deal out of it." Kaguya smirked. She always enjoyed a good teasing, and Reisen somehow got the idea that the princess would find enjoyment in setting people up. It was just a gut feeling of hers.

"You should be more careful with your words, princess," Reisen said as her heartbeat started to calm down. Mokou was admirable, certainly, but Reisen wasn't sure exactly how she felt about her. It was something she just couldn't put into words, not right now anyway. Whatever she felt towards Mokou was a bit too complex to express like that. She wasn't sure if that was necessarily good or bad yet.

She could deal with all of that later.

She had plenty of time to figure out her new home.


End file.
